


Sophie's Baby

by Doooonot



Category: Howl no Ugoku Shiro | Howl's Moving Castle, Mononoke-hime | Princess Mononoke
Genre: Babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 10:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15094904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doooonot/pseuds/Doooonot
Summary: Sophie wakes up one night to tend to her child, and has lots of thoughts. Howl shows up too.





	Sophie's Baby

A shrill cry pierces through the still darkness of the castle. 

Sophie sighs, making herself sit up and get out of bed, mumbling softly to herself.

“Ok, all right, Soph…you’re not old anymore. Up you get.” She stretches, wincing as all her joints pop with an audible crack. Her body hasn’t quite been the same after a long pregnancy with the twins (both were late and big babies), making her feel almost as stiff as she used to be. She makes her way over to the identical cribs in the corner of the room, reaching down and picking up the wailing infant. Sophie cradles the child carefully in her arms, gently rocking his tiny body as he screams in her arms.   
“Now what is it, you silly thing? It’s almost three in the morning. My father always called that the witching hour. He always told me that you’d be cursed if you step out of bed at that time. Though,” Sophie sighs, “Not that it really matters now. I’m not nearly as scared of curses as I used to be.” She sits down and attempts to feed her son, but he pushes away her breast and continues shrieking. “No, not hungry? Don’t worry, little one, I’m not offended. Heaven knows both you and your brother eat enough during the day. Goodness, imagine when you’re eating solid foods.”

Sophie changes her son, but nothing happens. He keeps on screeching. She sighs softly and holds him close, kissing his tiny forehead and bouncing him.

“What, you just need to cry? That’s just fine, I suppose. Everyone just needs to cry sometimes. But maybe not at this time of night…oh well. I’m not mad. You’re too cute to be mad at. I remember Lettie used to cry like this, too. Even when she was older. She used to cry and screams for hours, and mother would get so mad…I wonder if you’ll do the same,” she murmurs against the top of her son’s head, wandering over to the window. Carefully maneuvering the infant to one arm, she opens the window and lets the cool night breeze wash over them both. 

“If you do, that’s okay. I’ll love you no matter how much you cry, or eat. I’m your mother. You can cry with me however much you want, I won’t mind.” Off in the distance, a chilling howl echoes. Sophie shivers slightly and smiles at the sound. 

“Did you hear that? I bet that’s mama. Don’t worry, though, she doesn’t sound upset. I bet she’s just doing some hunting to keep us both fed. She loves you a lot, too. She’ll always protect you. Though I did tell her to get more sleep…I guess we’re all night owls now. At least both your brothers sleep all night. But I guess I don’t know what Markl was like at your age.”

Sophie notices how much quieter the room is. She looks down at her now quiet son. He’s staring off into the night woods, tears still drying on his face but his eyes alert, slightly narrowed. One chubby baby hand is waving towards the window, almost like he’s grabbing for something, but the other hand clings to the front of Sophie’s shirt, as if cautiously afraid to let go. Deep down, Sophie knows he’s probably just reaching for the moon (all the books say babies reach for big, colorful objects at this age), or maybe searching for the source of his mama’s howl, but her heart still aches at the sight; she knows which world her son really belongs in. 

“You’re just like your mama, little one. You’ve got a little bit of wild in you. Don’t worry, I don’t mind. I fell for her, remember? She’s as wild as they come…. Though, maybe ‘wild’ isn’t the right word. She’s free. All these silly rules we follow, they don’t bother her. Nothing can break her, and I love her for that. I think you’re like that. Free and unbreakable. Though, not literally unbreakable. No offense, but to be honest, you’re rather fragile, aren’t you? So don’t be afraid to take a break, and come home sometimes. I know mama will protect you, but take care of yourself.” she sighs, staring out at the beautiful night. She turns slightly and startles at the sight of a figure in the corner of the room.

“Howl! What in the world?” Sophie hisses, clutching her son tightly in defense. She lets herself slowly uncurl from her death grip on her child, waiting for her heartbeat to slow to a regular rate. She straightens again, her cheeks rosing up as she realizes the wizard must have heard her blathering. To her surprise, he looks just as embarrassed. After an awkward beat of silence, Howl finally responds. 

“Heard the screaming….thought something was wrong.”

Sophie sighs and smiles softly. 

“No, nothing is wrong….he just misses San, I think. When he gets a little older, we’ll let him sleep with a fur of hers, just to make it a little easier.”

Howl seems satisfied by this response, and a comfortable silence fills the space between them. Sophie goes back to staring out the window, watching the constant motion of the stars; beside her, she can see Howl stand next to her, apparently doing the same. The old friends watch the night together, enjoying the rare calm in the air.

“Do you want to hold him?” 

Howl seems startled by this offer, looking at her in complete disbelief. Sophie looks back at him, gently holding the little one out to him. A beat, then Howl blushing and looking away, mumbling that he doesn’t know how. Sophie smiles warmly at him, stepping forward. 

“I’ll teach you. You support the head and the back, just like that….For heaven;s sake, you can hold him a little closer. He’s a baby, not a weapon..There, like that!” Sophie smiles brightly, looking over the two of them. Her best friend looks slightly uncomfortable, but slightly amazed by the tiny creature in his arms. She stays close, watching him and her son lovingly. She knows Howl doesn’t want a child of his own. That’s ok. 

But she’ll be damned if he thinks he can get out of being an uncle.

**Author's Note:**

> kinda all over the place
> 
> not super clear but 'both your brothers' includes markl


End file.
